CHILE The Republic of Chile, which extends from the nineteenth parallel of south latitude along the west coast of South America to the extremity of the continent, has a length of 2,625 miles, a breadth varying from 65 to 185 miles, and an area of 292,500 square miles. It therefore occupies about one-twenty-fifth of the southern half of the New World, and ranks seventh in size among its states.
The physical features, climate, and, to some extent, the vegetation of the country, mark out distinctly its major natural regions. To the north of the twenty-seventh parallel, the western and main ranges of the Cordillera are separated by a great desert region of considerable altitude, in many places traversed by mountain ridges. Here, there is practically no rainfall, the valleys are narrow, and few rivers reach the sea. Desert conditions prevail, and, except in the immediate vicinity of the streams, the land is without vegeta tion. Further south, between the twenty-seventh and thirty-third parallels, the land intervening between the two ranges of the Cordillera, which in this region approach more closely to one another, is more mountainous in character ; the rainfall increases beyond the thirtieth parallel, and in the south it exceeds 10 inches ; the rivers are more numerous ; the valleys in which they flow are wider ; and the vegetation, though scanty and generally confined to the watercourses, is of a sclerophyllous type. From the thirty
third parallel, the great Central Valley of Chile runs south between the coast range and the main axis of the Cordillera, the valley itself being submerged and the coast range broken up into a series of islands beyond latitude 42° S. This last region may be further subdivided. As far south as about 39° S, the Mediterranean type of climate and vegetation is found. Beyond this, the country lies within the westerly wind belt all the year round ; and the heavy precipitation, combined with a fairly high temperature, induces the growth of a temperate rain forest, which gradually passes into the summer forest of Southern Chile.